#ratdog

Flashback to “RatDog with Bob Weir” on “Austin City Limits”

- “Brown-Eyed Women” pulled from “ACL” vault in Weir’s memory

RatDog was Bob Weir’s second-longest-running band, lasting nearly 20 years (1995-2014) and morphing from a blues outfit into more of a Grateful Dead cover act, albeit with a Dead man at the helm.

The band was in transition when it appeared on “Austin City Limits” around 2001. This iteration included DJ Logic on turntables, Kenny Brooks on saxophone, Jeff Chimenti on keys and Mark Karan on guitar alongside co-founders Weir, double bassist Rob Wasserman and drummer Jay Lane.

The announcer incorrectly introduces the band as “RatDog with Bob Weir” - it was billed as Bob Weir and RatDog - and the group performs “Brown-Eyed Women” in a clip pulled from the vault in celebration of Weir, who died last week at 78.

This is a reminder of an oft-forgotten era as Weir, still finding his post-Jerry-Garcia way, added scratching, brass and other accoutrements to his complement of sound as he sought to preserve and expand the music left behind.

RatDog went through many phases over the years and Sound Bites caught most of them, though the blog never went to more than two consecutive shows. This was an up period for the band and watching this video left me both happy to have enjoyed the ride and wistful for the days that are now gone for good.

Bob Weir, the last man standing